Grass mower with deck-mounted electric motor and power supply

Abstract

A grass mower is provided with a plurality of rotating shafts passing through a ceiling wall of a mower deck and extending upward, disposed in a side-by-side state; cutting blades respectively linked to the rotating shafts in an internal space of the mower deck; an electric motor mounted at a location to the lateral outside relative to a rotation path of the cutting blades within the mower deck, and having an output shaft extending upward; and a power transmission mechanism positioned above the ceiling wall of the mower deck, and configured to transmit power from the output shaft to the rotating shafts of the cutting blades.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A grass mower, comprising:
 a vehicle body; 
 a raising/lowering mechanism; 
 a mower deck installed to the vehicle body so as to be capable of changing ground height through the raising/lowering mechanism, the mower deck having a ceiling wall and a side wall extending downward from an outer circumferential edge of the ceiling wall, and the mower deck being configured to create an internal space between the mower deck and the ground; 
 a plurality of rotating shafts passing through the ceiling wall and extending upward, disposed in a side-by-side state; 
 cutting blades respectively linked to the rotating shafts in the internal space; 
 an electric motor mounted on a mounting base extending from the side wall of the mower deck to the lateral outside relative to a rotation path of the cutting blades within the mower deck, and having an output shaft extending upward; 
 a power transmission mechanism positioned above the ceiling wall, and configured to transmit power from the output shaft to the rotating shafts; and 
 a power supply unit configured to supply electrical power to the electric motor, the power supply unit being mounted on the mounting base adjacent the electric motor. 
 
     
     
       2. The grass mower according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a motor mounting face configured to be mounted to the mower deck is provided at a lower end portion of the electric motor, and 
 the motor mounting face has a lower ground height than the ceiling wall. 
 
     
     
       3. The grass mower according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the mounting base extends to the outside from the side wall of the mower deck, and 
 the electric motor is mountable to the mounting base. 
 
     
     
       4. The grass mower according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein a horizontal first mounted face is provided in the mounting base, and 
 the motor mounting face is in contact with the first mounted face such that heat can be conducted. 
 
     
     
       5. The grass mower according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein an inverter unit is provided in the power supply unit, and 
 the inverter unit is mounted to the side wall or the mounting base. 
 
     
     
       6. The grass mower according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein an inverter mounting face configured to be mounted to the mower deck is provided in the inverter unit, 
 a second mounted face is provided in the side wall or the mounting base, and 
 the inverter mounting face is fixed in a state in contact with the second mounted face such that heat can be conducted. 
 
     
     
       7. The grass mower according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein a battery configured to be provided in the vehicle body is provided in the power supply unit, 
 the grass mower further comprising a connector unit of a power cable configured to connect the inverter unit to the battery, the connector unit being installed to the mounting base. 
 
     
     
       8. The grass mower according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the mounting base is disposed at the periphery of a location where sucked-in air produced by rotation of the cutting blades flows. 
 
     
     
       9. The grass mower according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein in an area to the rear of the side wall, a usable space is provided bordered by a plurality of circular arc portions following the rotation path and a straight portion between the circular arc portions, and 
 the electric motor is disposed in the usable space. 
 
     
     
       10. The grass mower according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a water jacket is provided in the electric motor, and 
 an electric cooling pump configured to supply cooling water to the water jacket is provided in the vehicle body. 
 
     
     
       11. The grass mower according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein a cooling water channel is provided in the inverter unit, and 
 an electric cooling pump configured to supply cooling water to the cooling water channel is provided in the vehicle body. 
 
     
     
       12. The grass mower according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the power transmission mechanism is a belt transmission mechanism, and 
 the belt transmission mechanism is provided with driven pulleys respectively provided at the upper ends of the plurality of rotating shafts, a driving pulley provided at the upper end of the output shaft, and a belt wound around the driven pulleys and the driving pulley.